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By Erin, November 8, 2009 7:47 PM

You know when your using the bathroom at your friend’s house-warming party and it is just so tempting to peek in one of her/his drawers, or slide open the medicine cabinet, just to see what’s there – not because you are “snooping” per say, but just…curious? Well, there is no need to hold your breath with curiosity anymore because I am bringing my favorite medicine cabinet “secrets” into the open. Having spent the last ten years of my life traveling and studying herbal medicine, I have collected quite the arsenal of natural remedies. The medicine cabinet in my Manhattan apartment may be quite different from most Americans: filled with all sorts of herbal pills, tablets, syrups & powders.

The leaves have turned color in New York City, the clocks turned back and the slight chill of winter lurks around the corner.  As our internal thermostats adjust to accommodate the external environmental changes during the fall, we often find ourselves fighting colds or catching the flu (beyond the hullabaloo of H1N1, there are many strains of simple colds out there – remember those?).  Much to my loving outdoor-hockey-playing boyfriend’s approval, these “natural alternatives” deliver potent relief when the time is right.  Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly a fan of the occasional Advil or Tylenol PM (also harbored in my medicine cabinet), but sometimes these other things get the job done better.  Yup, that’s right, better.

Chinese medicine offers great remedies to knock out that bug that hasn’t quite become full-blown illness, or strengthen the system to prevent an attack.  Acupuncture works to detoxify the body, and tonify the immune system.  Herbal medicine can do the same and work at a very deep level to re-balance during seasonal shifts and either treat or prevent common ailments. The following are some remedies you can try at home to stay healthy and out of the doctor’s office as winter gingerly approaches.

Continue reading 'From My Medicine Cabinet to Yours'»

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By Erin, November 7, 2009 12:24 PM

Fall is a very interesting time of year, where the warm yang of summer transforms into the cool yin of winter, and fruitful harvest moves into preparation for quietude.  Seasonal foods move out of the sun and back into the earth, producing hearty root vegetables like yams, potatoes, squash, beets, cabbage, and brussel-sprouts.  Many delicious and nutritious recipes can be made from these foods.  Before the modern conveniences of having such foods like strawberries available year-round, fall was a time for harvesting the last of summer’s produce and preserving it into pickles, jams and sauces to be enjoyed through the barren winter.

In an effort to honor the transitional nature of fall (and provide a yummy breakfast in the process), I prepared home-made banana-fig muffins.  Melding the tropical bananas of summer with fresh fall figs to make a nourishing and hearty sweet-bread.  The coconut oil can be substituted with any vegetable oil, but then you’d be missing out on these important benefits.  Did you know that it helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, promote weight loss, stabilize metabolism levels and support immune function? It is truly an amazing (and under-utilized) oil.  These muffins are extra delicious served slightly toasted with goat-butter and a cup of earl gray tea.

BANANA-FIG MUFFINS

3-4 ripe bananas, peeled

1/2 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Cup Brown Sugar (loosely measured, not firmly packed)

12 Fresh Figs

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

Dash of Salt

2 Cups Flour

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.  Using a hand mixer, blend together the bananas and oil, add the sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Incorporate the eggs one by one.  Slice 6 figs into halves and place in the batter, sprinkle the mixture with salt, baking powder and soda.  Blend until figs are fully incorporated into the mixture and powders are dissolved.  Using a large spoon, slowly incorporate the flour.  Lightly grease 12 muffin molds and fill 2/3 full with batter.  With remaining 6 figs, slice them into quarters, nestling 2 quarter-pieces on the top of each muffin for garnish.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into muffin comes out clean.  Enjoy!